Seminarian, First College
Picture in your mind you are a 5 year old whose birthday it is and your parents are going to throw you a surprise party. All the relatives come early and hide in the house while you are out with one of your parents. You show up late at the house tired from a long birthday morning with your mom and grandparents. You walk into the house completely unaware of what is about to happen. All of a sudden people come out from everywhere, friends and family, shouting “Surprise!” hugging you and kissing you and picking you up. That is what Cassock Day at St. Charles Seminary feels like since that happened to me at my 5th birthday party. I cannot tell too much of the story for the New Men who will be attending St. Charles next year will probably read this. All I can say is, it will be a day I will never forget for the rest of my life. How great I feel that God has called me to serve his people and give me such an opportunity to be with family and spend time with my new brothers of the St. Charles community. I woke up tired that morning because of the excitement I knew was coming the next day. We had Morning Prayer in the morning followed by the blessing of the cassocks. Following the blessing, mass was held, and it was the most special mass I have ever seen in my entire life because it was God’s gift to us that day. Sharing the fellowship of fraternity with our brothers and the resident priests was the best part of the morning. In the afternoon, our families and friends came to share the day with us by giving them a day in the life of our community explaining what we do and walking around to various points of the Seminary. I didn’t expect this, but I had two of my teachers show up from my high school to visit me that day which was probably a gift from God showing me how much I am appreciated by others for what I do. Vespers was said in the evening followed by going out and share fellowship with all of our families and friends since we haven’t seen them in a while.
There are many more events I could describe from that day, but the other events that did take place I cannot use words for. They have touched me in so many ways I cannot begin to describe. I will quote my Rector Fr. Mahoney from what he heard “…it is not about the touch that you take, rather about the touch you give.” To all of you I wish you many blessing and happiness from our Lord and to the New Men who are discerning their vocation for the Diocese of Allentown you are being prayed for everyday. I hope that one day you will join me along with my other brother seminarians at St. Charles and share in this fellowship that, God willing, you will feel the same. Finally, may Christ be with all of you and please continue to pray that more young people discern their vocation to the priesthood or religious life. God bless you!
No comments:
Post a Comment